New York City, Center of the Universe
by practicallyperfectmp
Summary: Hard times hit all of us, but sometimes not in the way we expect. As one door slams shut in Caitlin's face, another opens. One that leads to a job, a new family, and a new way of life. Rated T to be safe, may change.


Caitlin fell to the ground, her eyes screwed shut as tears streamed from them, not even noticing her bag that flew by her head and landed with a hollow thud on the pavement.

"AND STAY OUT!"

She curled into herself as she tried to stop the tears. Dry sobs wracked her body as she failed to compose herself, opting instead to lay outside the door of her childhood home for a few minutes. What had she done wrong? She didn't deserve this. If anything, they did. They were the ones who fucked it all up. Her childhood. Her future. Her life.

She sat up slowly and wiped her runny nose with the back of her sleeve, a snot filled sniff accompanying it. He had no right to do this. She stood up and snatched her small bag from where it had fallen and threw it across her back before holding her head high, her auburn hair cascading down her back as she started to walk down the street, ignoring the looks she was getting. She kept walking, her head eventually falling so she was looking at her well worn shoes. She needed to get herself some food, some clothes, and a place to sleep. She looked up and caught her reflection in a shop window. She wouldn't get any of that looking like she currently did.

"Papes! Getcha papes! Three die in trolley accident!"

She whipped around to see a boy about five foot ten with curly black hair and a dirty blue shirt. He was waving the paper about, yelling at the top of his lungs as he tried to earn his keep. Caitlin had to work to suppress a smile at his nerve as he walked up to a woman and followed her down the street a bit until she bought one of his papers. He returned to his post with a triumphant smile and began hawking headlines once more. The red head looked at her reflection once again, a winning smile of her own creeping it's way onto her features. Maybe this might work after all.

The girl sat shivering in the pants and shirt she had dug out of the dumpster. It smelled and looked like garbage, but to her it was a way out. One man's trash, right?

She let out a sigh and pulled her limbs in closer, her old skirt the only think keeping the wind somewhat at bay. She blew her bangs out of her face, the red strands a reminder of the last deed she needed to do before this alley became her home for the night. She clenched her jaw and stood up to rummage through the rubbish bin again, this time in search of something sharp. She loved her hair—her hands closed over a broken plate—but she had no choice. She pulled out the offending piece of pottery and leaned against the wall, taking a couple of steadying breaths before bringing the shard to her locks and slicing through them. Tears slid down her cheeks again as the pile of red grew. _I have to do this. For Sean. For me._

Once she cut off the last piece of hair, she threw the plate piece across the alley where it shattered against the opposite wall. Her hands flew to her head and she fought to keep her composure again. It was gone. Hair grows. Move on.

Pushing off the wall with considerable effort, Caitlin walked out of the alley, leaving her bag and old clothing behind. She had kept the boots and a necklace. Those were the only reminder of the past, and that's how she wanted to keep it. A gust of wind blew through the buildings as she walked, her teeth starting to click together in cold as a result. She held her arms close, forcing herself to keep walking. _Just a little further. Just a little further—_

"Hey. Hey, kid!"

Caitlin turned slowly and saw the same boy from before waving at her as he ran to meet her. She offered him a smile that came out as more of a grimace. The boy wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smiled at her.

"What's a guy like you doing out out so late? You'se gonna catch a cold."

"Don't have a place to sleep." She rasped, not having spoken since earlier that day. The boy raised his eyebrows, but whether it was at her accent or at her admission, she couldn't tell.

"Well, that's bull," He said with a grunt as he steered her down the street, "You'se gonna sleeps wid' us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, da newsies. You'se a newsie, ain't ya?" The girl shrugged and he chuckled. "Well, you gonna be a newsie. Best job in da world!" She let out a snort and he gave her a strange look, his arm falling from around her shoulders. "What's so funny,Ginge?" He said with a crooked smile. She shook her head, not trusting herself to not burst out laughing as soon as she opened her mouth. " _What_ , Red!?" She clapped a hand over her lips and pointed down the street at a couple of boys who had scraps of fabric over their heads and were hobbling down the street, leaning heavily on two scraps of wood as they shuffled along. They were waving papers in people's faces as they yelled out the day's headlines in high-pitched, shaky voices. Jack rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle. "'ey, Race! Ten Pin! Get yah sorry mugs ovah 'ere before one of thems soaks ya!" The boys looked up and Caitlin could see grins take over their features as they recognised the boy next to her.

"'ey dere, Jackie-boy!" One of them called as he and his friend dropped their sticks and fabric before running over to meet them. "Who's da new kid?" He asked the boy next to her—Jack, she guessed from the nickname.

"This 'ere's — well shoot, kid!" She looked up at him as his arm once again reached behind her back to clap her on the shoulder. "I'se dragged you up 'ere an' I ain't even know ya name!" The girl grinned and shook her head.

"I could say the same t'you, Jackie-boy." She could see Race and Ten Pin's eyes widen at her accent and cringed. She had tried to get rid of it before when she was teased for it back in school, but no matter how hard he tried, it always came back.

"Fair point, Red. Fair point." He said, wagging his finger in her face before the hand came to rest on her other shoulder. "But, c'mon. What's ya name?"

"Ca—Calvin. Calvin Jackson." Jack grinned and stepped back, his arms wide as if putting her on display.

"Calvin! Nice tah meetcha." He spat on his left hand and held it out to her. She raised her eyebrows and looked at the other two boys. The one with the cigar in his mouth jerked his thumb towards Jack's hand and nodded, his gaze saying _'Go Ahead!'_ Caitlin looked at his hand one more time before spitting in her own and shaking his firmly, meeting his eyes with a determined smirk. Jack held her hand and grinned back as he turned to gesture at the open skies of Manhattan. "Welcome to New York!"


End file.
